


Names

by AddyEZ



Category: Newsies (1992), Newsies - All Media Types, Newsies!: the Musical - Fierstein/Menken
Genre: Adoption, Alcoholism, Angst, Death of a Parent, Dissociation, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Fire, Foster Care, Gen, Hospitals, Hurt/Comfort, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, Injury, Medda is the Character That Dies Just Before the Story Begins, Modern Era, Smoking
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-01
Updated: 2020-04-01
Packaged: 2021-02-28 18:48:48
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,429
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23421946
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AddyEZ/pseuds/AddyEZ
Summary: He saw everything, but noticed none of it. All he knows is someone is asking for his name and he doesn't know which one to give.WARNING This story does take place in a hospital. In the time of this pandemic I worry this may trigger some people. It doesn't mention illness at all, but you have been warned. This story also features the death of a parent, flashbacks of an abusive and alcoholic parents (mostly implied) and dissociation. You have been warned.
Relationships: Racetrack Higgins & Jack Kelly
Comments: 1
Kudos: 26





	Names

**Author's Note:**

> So this was a random drabble that popped in my head and since my school is cancelled indefinitely and I'm being good and social distancing I decided to write it. Been awhile since I had time to do that. Warnings are in the summary, I hope you appreciate this fic! :)

There was too much noise, yet none of it was registering to the boy. He could hear it all, the shouts, his shoes scuffing the tiles, the beeps of machines, the chatter of nurses, the squeaks of the wheels as hospital beds rolled passed, and multiple people who would stop to try to help him. The young boy who sat alone in the middle of the emergency room. They wrapped a blanket over his shoulders, handed him drinks, crouched in front of him and tried to talk to him, but he stared straight ahead. Yes, he registered all these things, yet nothing made him feel any different.

_“C’mon, keep up! They’re gonna catch us!"_

The last three years had been as close to perfect as this earth could get. Warm, safe, loved. It felt like he was holding a candle near his heart. Funny thing about candles though, you get too close and the candle will catch something. Next thing you know everything is in flames and there’s nothing you can do.

“Kid? Hey kid, look here, I’ve got a few questions for you.”

The boy managed to raise his head only to start trembling when he saw a police officer crouched in front of him. “What’s your name, kid?”

The boy blinked a few times, seeming almost lost in thought before answering.“I don’t know.”

“You seemed to be in perfectly fine health when the EMT checked you, kid, you should remember.”

_“You’re perfectly fine, you lazy piece of-”_

“-right?” His head jerked up as he met the concerned eyes of the officer. “C’mon, focus on me. What’s your name?”

He shuddered and wrapped his blanket closer around his shoulders. How did he answer that? How could he answer when he’d held so many names throughout his life?

_“Antonio Russo, what the hell do you think you’re doing?”_

_The six year old with the blonde curls looks up at his father, blue eyes brimming with tears. “Just making a castle…” I_

_f the father had any imagination or compassion, he would’ve seen that his abandoned empty beer bottles he left on the floor had been transformed into tall towers by his son. Instead, he scoffed. “That ain’t no castle, you’re just in my way, you little-”_

_With a snarl from his father, Antonio was pushed backwards and out of his father’s way. His hand was cut by one of the broken bottles._

“If you can’t remember, we’re going to have to get a doctor over here, okay? Kid?”

_“C’mon, Racetrack, faster!”_

_Shoes with soles hanging on by a thread slapped the pavement as the two boys raced down the street. They both ducked into an abandoned alley and covered their laughs as the perplexed adults outside struggled to find the boys._

_“Well dang, you pulled it off again, didn’t you?”_

_T_ _he twelve year old laughed as he handed a cigarette to his friend. “I’m Racetrack Higgins, Spottie. I always pull through."_

_His best friend, Spot, laughed as he lit his cigarette. After a pause, he glanced over to Racetrack. “How’re these new folks?”_

_Racetrack shrugged. “They don’t really care. Probably haven’t even noticed I didn’t go back for dinner.”_

_“_ _What number is this home anyways?”_

_“Eh, fourth or fifth I think. It’s how being a foster kid works, Spot.” His friend shot him a concerned look, but Racetrack brushed it off. “It’s no big deal. Don’t you worry about me.”_

“Hey! Kid, can you tell us where you are?”

He squinted at the bright light being shined in his eyes. He was on a hospital bed now. He didn’t quite remember how he got there. “Maybe it’s a concussion,” the doctor said to the officer. The doctor turned back to him. “Focus here-”

_“Look here, child, there you go, breathe with me.”_

_Tears clouded his vision as he looked at his foster mother. He’d been here over a year and he probably already messed everything up. He was fourteen now, placements were getting harder and harder to find. All he knew was he was going to be forced leave. He wanted to stay here, but he couldn’t, he would have to reevaluate. He knew he wanted to stay out of group homes, get out of these suburbs, back to the city, back to Spot… “You’re going to ditch me now, aren’t you? Just gonna call my social worker and let them try to find a new place to stick me?” “_

_Honey, when I said I wanted to talk to you about something, I didn’t mean for you to take it this way. What I meant was, I wanted to ask you how you felt about adoption.”_

_He gasped as he looked into her face. She wanted to adopt him? “You-” He couldn’t even get the words out before he was sobbing, shaking his head yes, yes he wanted to be her son, yes, he wanted her adopted son to be his brother, no, he didn’t mind that this meant he wouldn’t have a father again, the first one he had was bad enough, he just wanted her, he wanted the amazing Medda Larkin to become his actual mother instead of just his foster mother._

_“Okay, sweetheart, okay,” Medda was smiling through her tears. “We can start on the process tomorrow, okay?” Medda seemed to think of something else after a brief pause. “Do you want to change your name?”_

_He froze. This was it, his chance to escape his past, a whole new name. “I wanna be Tony,” he sniffled. “Can I be Tony Larkin?”_

_His new mother laughed. “Of course, Tony, of course. That seems perfect.”_

The boy didn’t react. The doctor turned to the nurse in the room and started giving them instructions as if he couldn’t hear them. He could, it’s just nothing registered, nothing felt important, just-

“Tony!”

The door to the hospital room flew open and a young man ran in. His eyes were red and tears streamed down his cheeks. “Tony…” the man breathed as he cupped his little brother’s face. “Are you okay?”

All the boy could whisper was, “They want to know my name Jackie, she was going to officially file the papers tomorrow, what do I-”

“Hey, hey, hey, don’t you worry about that, I got you from now on kid…” Jack stroked the boy’s hair as he comforted the boy who didn’t even look like he felt anything.

He didn’t notice the doctor ask Jack some questions before leaving to make a phone call. He didn’t notice when a man came in the room saying he was his social worker. He didn’t notice when Jack left him and went out in the hallway. He didn’t notice when Jack started shouting that, “My ma was one day away from officially adopting this kid, there ain’t no way I’m letting my little brother get thrown into some group home-”.

He didn’t notice when Jack came back holding some papers that let him be his temporary guardian until they could get everything straightened out in court. He didn’t notice Jack gently leading him to his car and proceeding to buckle him in as if he was an infant.

He barely noticed his words slipped out of his mouth as he stood in Jack’s apartment. “We lost ma.”

Jack wrapped an arm around his shoulder as they stared at a picture of the three of them. A picture of a woman with no desire for romance but a heart full of love she wanted to give to children of her own. A son she adopted before he could remember but yet still wanted his birth father’s surname, “Kelly”. And a boy who was her son everywhere but on paper (but they were trying, damn it, they tried) who’d been hurt so many ways by so many but was rescued and cared for just as he was breaking.

“There was nothing that could’ve been done, Tony. You got out perfectly safe and that’s how she would’ve wanted it.”

He had held the candle to close, soaking in the warmth and comfort and love, but the fire spread.

That night, when he laid in a bed in a room next to his brother, he heard the sobs. He got up and ran to Jack and threw himself into his arms. A grief overcame them both so strong that they felt like they were drowning over and over so they held onto each other so at least if they died in this pain they wouldn’t be alone.

That was one thing Tony did notice.

**Author's Note:**

> Welp, I hope that made you feel something. Remember to hit the kudos button, leave me a review and stay healthy! <3


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